What we have here is a concise version of the Oxford Companion to Wine, now in its second edition, which Jancis Robinson edited and produced some time ago. In her preface she comments on the success achieved by that publication but adds that there appeared to be only one serious criticism of it – that it is too heavy and unwieldy. So she has tackled that shortcoming by producing this more concise companion.
Jancis is, of course, well known, not only for her unusual forename, but also for her international reputation as a writer and broadcaster on the subject of wine. Today, there are probably more wine drinkers around the world than ever before, and more experts too, although some are more expert than others. At the end of the day, wine drinking is an intensely personal matter: there are no hard and fast rules as to whether one should choose red or white, or whether one should prefer wines from the New World rather than the more established vintages of France and other European countries.
But there is no doubt that enjoyment of wine is enhanced by an increased knowledge of the grapes, the vintages, the processes of wine making and other facets of the topic. It therefore behoves serious drinkers to improve their knowledge of these things. In this handy little volume Jancis and her contributors have produced an ideal vade mecum. She has had the help of many contributors, some of them Masters of Wine, and these are all listed at the outset. She also pays tribute to Julia Harding, her assistant, and it is noticed too that the Oxford University Press has a viniculture editor in Richard E. Smart, and oenology editors in Dinsmoor Webb and Patrick J. Williams. So there is no lack of expertise behind this encyclopaedia.
An encyclopaedia it certainly is, for the bulk of the volume is taken up by articles of varying lengths beginning with abboccato, which is Italian for medium sweet, right through to Zwegelt, Austria’s most popular dark‐berried grape variety. Entries by her contributors are signed with their initials, unsigned articles being written by the editor herself. Glancing through the pages, one can see that Jancis’s contributions are many and various. But like all good encyclopaedias, this one contains many pages of supplementary material. There are four appendices, the first being a complete list of controlled appellations and their permitted grape varieties; the second listing vineyard areas, wine production, and per capita wine production per country; the third is a personal choice of up‐and‐coming wine regions and producers; and the final one is a useful guide to vintages.
There is no doubt that this is a comprehensive and reliable guide. There are articles on the various wine‐producing countries and regions, there is information on the processes of wine‐making, there are entries on almost every known wines, such as Beaujolais, Gewürztraminer, Muscadet and Sauternes; in short those who want to know more about this fascinating topic can rely on Jancis’s Companion 100 per cent.
